“My main problem is reconciling my gross habits with my net income”

Australian-born actor Errol Flynn (1909-1959) was one of Hollywood’s highest-paid stars in the 1940s; in the 1950s, however, he faced financial disaster. A Flynn quote was published in many newspapers in December 1953:
 
“My main problem is reconciling my gross habits with my net income.”
 
The quote has been printed on many images, often as, “My problem lies in reconciling my gross habits with my net income.”
 
   
Wikipedia: Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian born actor who achieved fame in Hollywood after 1935. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, and became an American citizen in 1942.
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Post-war career
In 1946, Flynn published an adventure novel, Showdown, and earned a reported $184,000 (equivalent to $2,230,000 in 2015). In 1947 he signed a 15-year contract with Warner Bros. for $225,000 per film. His income totaled $214,000 that year, and $200,000 in 1948.
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Europe
In the 1950s, after losing his savings from the Hollywood years in a series of financial disasters, including The Story of William Tell (1954), he became a parody of himself, sailing aimlessly around the Western Mediterranean aboard his yacht Zaca. Heavy alcohol abuse left him prematurely aged and overweight. He staved off financial ruin with roles in forgettable productions such as King’s Rhapsody (1955) Hello God (1951) and Crossed Swords (1954).
   
13 December 1953, The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY), “London Diary” by Wallace Reyburn (Worldwide Press Service Writer), sec. 3, pg. 6, col. 5:
Skin Flynnt?”
ERROL FLYNN, even after obtaining a large loan here to complete his Italian venture in film making, does not seem too happy financially:
 
“My main problem,” he said, “is reconciling my gross habits with my net income.”
 
27 December 1953, The Observer (UK), “Saying of the Year: Reprinted from weekly selection published in THE OBSERVER.” pg. 3, col. 8:
My main problem is reconciling my gross habits with my net income.—Mr. Erroll Flynn
 
6 March 1955, New York (NY) Times, “Tax Bites Man: With tax time last approaching, a selection of bleats and cries on the subject is pertinent” compiled by Frances Rodman, Magazine, pg. 58, col. 2:
“My main problem is reconciling my gross habits with my net income.”—Errol Flynn.
 
24 July 1956, Anniston (AL) Star, “The Smart Set” by Cholly Knickerbocker, pg. 6, col. 3:
BON MOT: “My main problem is reconciling my gross habits with my net income.—Errol Flynn.
 
Google Books
And I Quote:
The Definitive Collection of Quotes, Sayings, and Jokes for the Contemporary Speechmaker
By Ashton Applewhite, William R. Evans III and Andrew Frothingham
New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press
1992
Pg. 206:
My problem lies in reconciling my gross habits with my net income. — Errol Flynn
   
Google Books
Oxford Dictionary of Humorous Quotations
Edited by Gyles Brandreth
New York, NY: Oxford University Press
2013
Pg. 213:
My main problem is reconciling my gross habits with my net income.
Errol Flynn 1909–59 Australian-born American actor: in New York Times 6 March 1955
 
Google Books
The Illiterate Executive:
An Executive’s Handbook for Mastering Financial Acumen
By Blair Cook
Victoria, BC: FriesenPress
2016
Pg. 19:
“My problem lies in reconciling my gross habits with my net income.” - Errol Flynn
 
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My problem lies in reconciling my gross habits with my net income.—Errol Flynn #quotes #humor
3:06 PM - 8 Oct 2016